Washington (CNN) - After The New York Times published new allegations about Chris Christie and the George Washington Bridge scandal, the New Jersey governor launched a full-scale verbal assault on both the newspaper and the former Port Authority official, David Wildstein, making those claims.

In a response obtained Saturday by CNN, Christie rebuked Wildstein's claim the governor was aware of lane closures leading to the bridge - and jabbed at the ex-appointee's reputation.

(CNN) - The lawyer for the New Jersey special legislative committee investigating the Christie administration's role in a September shutdown of access lanes to the George Washington Bridge met with federal prosecutors Friday.

A statement released by the committee's co-chairs - Assemblyman John Wisniewski and Sen. Loretta Weinberg - confirmed that Reid Schar, the attorney handling the legislature's probe, met with officials from U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman's office, the latest signal that the federal inquiry into the "Bridgegate" affair may become a full-blown criminal investigation.

In a rare joint appearance at the Munich Security Conference, Secretary of State John Kerry and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel dismissed Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's opposition to renewing fast-track trade authority and predicted that the bill will ultimately pass in spite of Reid's opposition.

Washington (CNN) - After a week in which he signed executive orders focused on bolstering the middle class, President Barack Obama repeated his State of the Union promise Saturday to act with or without Congress.

In what he termed a "three-minute version" of Tuesday's all-encompassing State of the Union speech, the President promised he would not let his "opportunity agenda" get stalled by a bitterly divided legislative branch, and that "wherever I can take a step to expand opportunity for more families on my own, I will."

Washington (CNN) - Republicans pressed President Barack Obama to find "bipartisan common ground" on initiatives he highlighted in his State of the Union address while faulting the administration for impeding progress on important issues.

In the GOP weekly address, a quartet of Republicans expressed hope that they can find a path forward on policy areas but blamed the White House and Democrats in the Senate for not moving forward on bills where "the House has already acted."